The Central Rockies are no place for open-pit coal mines.
Home to the Bighorn Backcountry, this world-class hiking, fishing and camping destination hosts some of the most beautiful and scenic views you have ever seen.
Coal mining would directly conflict with community members’ recent efforts to position the Central Rockies as a premier tourism destination. Open-pit coal mines have not been allowed in the mountains and foothills in the sensitive headwaters of the North Saskatchewan River for the past 45 years, and now is not the time to start.
Photo: Gillian Chow-Fraser
A landscape transformed
The scenic and popular recreation areas near Nordegg, including Crescent Falls, Goldeye Lake, and Fish Lake, are now surrounded by coal lease applications. Coal mining would destroy the scenic views and disturb and chase away the wildlife that draw visitors to these iconic areas.
Residents and visitors alike know that the stunning landscapes of the Central Eastern Slopes are beloved and life-giving. They are the water source for millions of Albertans, providing drinking water to residents of Clearwater County, the Drayton Valley, the City of Edmonton, and many more, including our neighbours in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The Ram River and its tributaries are some of Alberta’s best habitat for bull trout and cutthroat trout, and these areas are world-class fly-fishing spaces.
Visitation to the Bighorn Backcountry skyrocketed in 2020, showing just how much Albertans love the Central Eastern Slopes and see this area as a beautiful refuge from the everyday. We believe that the future of this region should lie in the hands of those who cherish and rely on the landscape for clean water, abundant fish and wildlife, outdoor adventure and the sustainable economy it supports. Its fate should not be determined by those looking to exploit and sacrifice this land simply for limited, short-term, and uncertain financial benefits.
The Threat
There are two potential open-pit coal mine projects in the advanced stages of exploration and planning within Central Alberta: Ram River Coal’s Aries Mine and Valory Resources’ Blackstone Mine. It is unclear if these projects will be allowed to continue exploration under the reinstated Coal Policy.
These open-pit and strip mining operations will leave scars on the landscape that destroy scenic views and would be devastating to the sustainable tourism economy developing in Alberta’s Central Eastern Slopes. Coal mining would not only impact peoples’ ability to recreate in the region, but would also threaten water security for millions of Albertans and Canadians living downstream. Mining operations remove large volumes of water and can leach toxins like selenium, a known health risk for humans and fish, into waterways. Water pollution and loss of habitat due to coal mining would be devastating to one of Alberta’s last strong populations of bull trout, and would threaten many other beloved and iconic wildlife species.
Open-pit coal mines have not been allowed in the mountains and foothills in the headwaters of the North Saskatchewan River for the past 45 years. No new mine development or exploration should be allowed until the 1976 Coal Policy is replaced with full public and Indigenous consultation.
